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Democracy for America backs Mike Espy for U.S. Senate in Mississippi

October 11, 2018 - 10:32 am

Today, Democracy for America (DFA) announced its endorsement of Mike Espy in Mississippi's non-partisan special election for U.S. Senate this November.

DFA's endorsement of Espy comes just days after the U.S. Senate Senate, in an overwhelmingly Republican vote, approved the nomination of accused sexual assault perpetrator Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Chair Jim Dean on DFA's endorsement of Mike Espy for U.S. Senate:

"Mike Espy is running a strong grassroots campaign for U.S. Senate in Mississippi that may be even more surprising and transformational than Doug Jones' victory in Alabama last year.

"Not only will Espy's victory by critical to ending the fringe right's control of the U.S. Senate, it will be a powerful reminder as we head into 2020 that progressives can win everywhere if we stand up for an inclusive populist political agenda and build campaigns that prioritize, energize, and mobilize the new American majority of Black, brown, and progressive white voters.

"Democracy for America is excited to support Mike Espy in his race for U.S. Senate because we know he's committed to the fight to make sure Mississippi and the country work for everyone, not just the wealthy and powerful. Mike Espy knows that a great country like ours doesn't lock kids up in cages when they're fleeing violence or deny folks access to health care simply because they can't afford it.

"Rooted firmly in our shared progressive values, Mike Espy is running a bold, grassroots campaign committed to welcoming in the leadership of community members who have long been ignored in Mississippi, and we're excited to be fighting alongside him." -- Jim Dean, Chair, Democracy for America

Mike Espy on receiving DFA's endorsement:

"I am grateful to Democracy for America for their endorsement, and I look forward to working with their members here in Mississippi to keep our momentum going and win this election in November." -- Mike Espy

DFA is a national progressive political organization with 3,429 members in Mississippi and more than 1 million members across the country.

Today, DFA also endorsed Jacky Rosen for U.S. Senate in Nevada. Victories by Rosen and Espy, along with a win by DFA-backed Beto O'Rourke in Texas, may be critical to helping Democrats flip control of the Senate and halt the Trump administration's efforts to appoint more unfit, fringe right-wing individuals to government and judicial positions.

As a part of its work in the 2018 election cycle, DFA intends to raise and spend more than $12 million in support of progressive candidates, make more than 2 million voter contacts, and support more than 250 candidates nationwide -- like Espy -- in running inclusive populist campaigns committed to turning out the New American Majority of people of color and progressive white voters in November.

Democracy for America is a member-driven, people-powered progressive PAC with more than one million members nationwide committed to taking on income inequality, money in politics, and structural racism. Since its 2004 founding, DFA members have raised and contributed more than $54 million and made more than 21.9 million volunteer calls to help successfully elect 917 progressive candidates nationwide.

"He’s a blank slate that’s ridden up to this primary on the coattails of a popular ex-president, so it’s very easy to project a whole host of ideas about what that means for 2020 and beyond,” said Neil Sroka, communications director of Democracy for America, a progressive activist group. “Once he actually starts having a plan and voters see how it differs from the others in the race, that’s not going to wear very well.”